


Winter Months

by Jas_mint



Series: Zelfi & Ghiralink Oneshots (After the War AU) [2]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Genre: Enemies to Friends, F/F, Link keeps Fi and Zelda gets Ghirahim as a sword, M/M, Pining, Post-Canon, master/sword au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:02:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28242075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jas_mint/pseuds/Jas_mint
Summary: Separated by snowstorms, Zelda chooses to brave winter on the surface alone while Link returns to the sky. The problem is she's not really alone, and the longer they spend trapped together the more they end up oversharing. It's just three months to survive, if she and Ghirahim don't kill each other first.
Relationships: Fi/Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Ghirahim & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Ghirahim/Link (Legend of Zelda)
Series: Zelfi & Ghiralink Oneshots (After the War AU) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2067570
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	Winter Months

**Author's Note:**

> somewhat out of order. this one would be set before Morning Light

"It's only for a few months." She assured him, watching Link smooth over the feathers of his bird, a mindless fidget that she knew helped calm him down. The clouds were already beginning to set in, his window to leave rapidly closing.

"I don't like thinking of you down here by yourself." He murmured, glancing up towards the darkening sky. They had waited too long, it would be hard enough to break through those clouds as is.

"I'm not alone." She reminded him, but the way Link's nose scrunched up at her comment made it clear this was not the comfort it was meant to be.

"That's almost worse." He grimaced, glancing back towards her home. Inside waited a sword forged in malice, the right hand of evil itself, the demon reclaimed by the goddess's chosen. It wasn't her first or even last choice to be spending the winter stuck on the surface, but they had all decided it was best.

In the end, it made sense for Zelda and Ghirahim to stay behind and guard their little settlement. Link couldn't go long without the sky and Fi couldn't offer much help on her own. Zelda was less averse to spending time down here, and Ghirahim knew the world below the clouds better than anyone. If things grew dicey, he could get them out. His teleportation was more for short distances, flashy and showy distractions, but worst case scenario he could whisk them away and worry about the recovery time later. 

If all went well, this would be the only winter someone had to spend alone. By this time next year more Skyloftians would make the move and her dreams of life on the surface would become reality. 

"Stay safe." She whispered, knowing if Link didn't leave now he never would. They hadn't prepared to sustain two people, much less a loftwing. Brushing her hand over the hilt of the blade he carried, she added, "Both of you."

"Take care of my girl for me." He reminded her, giving the remlit she held in her arms a gentle pat. "Don't let Ghirahim spoil her too much."

Laughing because she knew how much the demon hated the thing, Zelda held her up to say goodbye. Waving her paw, she mimicked her saying goodbye, heart breaking at the sad smile that crossed Link's face. 

"See you soon." Link said as a final parting, one last glance towards the house before he took off. Seemingly not finding what he was looking for, he nudged his bird on with a sigh.

She waited in the garden until the red was just a dot in the cloud barrier, disappearing to the sky above. It hurt, saying goodbye like this again, and only brought back memories of amber and heartache, of the guilt of a god. 

It was moments like these she felt the weight of eternity on her second-hand soul.

"They've left, have they?"

Snapped from her thoughts, Zelda turned to see Ghirahim among the wilted rose bushes, gaze fixed on the darkening clouds. Her deep seated sadness quickly turned to fear, the reality of their choices hitting her all at once.

The only time she had ever been truly alone with the sword was when he...

"Good. I was beginning to think he'd never own up to his words." His cold eyes met hers, and for a moment she saw fire and blood behind them; the centuries of destruction and pain he had caused. How she ever thought she could tame and conquer that darkness was beyond her.

It was gone the next moment, Ghirahim breaking her gaze to gesture at the sky. "There. First snow of the season. Seconds later and he would have been making excuses as to why he had to stay. You mortals and your silly _attachments."_ He sneered, and Zelda couldn't help the anger that flared in her heart.

"That's rich, coming from the demon who bent time to bring a monster back from the dead." 

The sword scoffed, waving her off in offense. "Inability to break from orders does not equal attraction, and my submission is not from _sentiment._ " He idly inspected his nails, raising his hand with fingers poised to snap. "If you'll forgive me, _mistress,_ I do not see how my presence at the moment benefits either of us. We'll be seeing enough of each other as is."

He was gone in a rain of diamonds, familiar yet so foreign to her, leaving only a faint trace of magic in the air.

Zelda stood, alone, wondering when they decided this was a good idea.

* * *

She found she like the surface in winter. She liked being alone, with time to think and not worry others were looking for her. No one treated her differently, as they all knew her as someone other than the girl on Skyloft (if she could count the few kikwis readying for hibernation 'company'). Even Ghirahim hadn't changed that much, all his fancy honorifics of "Your Grace" and "spirit maiden" as mocking as they were when she didn't carry his blade. It was a break from the responsibilities she had picked up as a holy figure and community leader, no one but herself to keep safe.

On the other hand, it meant there was no one to keep her safe. Her loss of support system was as jarring as when she was first stolen from the clouds, the distance between her and her friends, family, and people spreading the divide between humanity and deity. Down here, she felt more like Hylia than ever. Down here, she couldn't distract herself from the memories.

She decided, after another nightmare, humans were never meant to face the feelings of gods. Blocking emotions she couldn't begin to name, complex decisions and excuses holding her down under the watery depths of time, it was Hylia that surfaced in the darkness, Hylia that cried herself to sleep for a hero she would never again see, and Hylia that left Zelda once again dealing with the damage. When it came to her faults and the consequences to others, Zelda would willingly shoulder the blame and accept the guilt as the goddess herself, but to her the concept of "Zelda" and the concept of "Hylia" were so far removed she would never understand how they intersected. A true goddess, she thought, wouldn't break down at the memories of another.

There was one consolation, and it was that Ghirahim was as lonely and sullen as she. They didn't speak to each other often, but when they did, it was tense and short, out of necessity. She knew not how to control a spirit, something Ghirahim certainly took advantage of. Their frustration was clear, as they grew to need each other, in that neither would compromise or accept defeat.

It was two weeks in when Ghirahim cornered her by the henhouse, sword thrust into her hands, demanding she learn to use the damn thing. Nearly twice her size, unwieldy and impractical, she had been stubborn at first, reminding him their relationship as master and sword was _not_ because she planned to take up his blade and replace his old master, but because he wasn't to be trusted without someone who could control his every move. He hadn't taken lightly to that.

She wasn't sure when or why her mind changed. Perhaps it was curiosity, maybe boredom. Either way, it was only three days later she found herself across from him in battle, burgundy metal raised to black, evenly matched weapons paired with unevenly skilled fighters. How a sword could conjure his own blades was a mystery.

Stumbling back, Zelda growled in fury as she dodged his own massive broadsword, knowing however many times she hit his skin it wouldn't break (unlike hers). It had been an unwelcome surprise to see him transform, unable to land damaging hits anywhere but the covered core, much less not expecting the similarities to the other sword spirit she knew. Not that she was supposed to be hurting him. This was practice.

Still, years of pent up anger and unresolved revenge let her take all her frustration out on him with no guilt whatsoever. 

He hadn't expected her to fight back so fiercely, imagining the weak girl in the white dress or the inexperienced hero of their teenage years, so it certainly came as a shock to him when he was up against a fully fledged knight. Hylia was a war goddess, and Zelda had access to her power.

Magic didn't always come easy to her, but when she raised the blade and brought it down on his, the sword shattered into grey shards, splintering out and littering across the ground. Panting, Zelda glared at her enemy, eyes gold and teeth bared, before she remembered Ghirahim was on her side.

Unpinning him from the ground, she backed off as the boiling faded from her blood, the light dimming from around them.

"I certainly wasn't expecting that." The white eyes flashed with something close to amusement, some form of emotion breaking the haze of boredom. "Of course, I went easy on you. If I had known—"

"Yeah, yeah. Link's told me all about it." She waved him off, sheathing his sword form. At the mention of Link's name, something strange crossed his face, but it was gone before she could place it.

"I didn't know you could use this form of magic."

"Yeah? Goddess reborn and all that, figured I might as well get some use out of it."

It was strange, hearing her once enemy laugh, genuine and uncalculated without the cruelty and intimidation. It had been so long since she had heard any laughter, it was contagious. What she said hadn't even been particularly funny, but she couldn't help the giggling that burst through. 

"I will admit I have been a tad harsh on you." Ghirahim smiled at her, and though she could see sharp fangs it was, for once, non-threatening, "If you would consider it, I'm willing to rethink how we go about surviving down here."

* * *

Of course things didn't turn all sunshine and rainbows immediately. She doubted they would ever truly get over the past, but they were no longer terse with each other. It didn't cure her loneliness, as not much changed but the tone in which they interacted, but there were some days, some cold nights when she couldn't get the fire started and had to let go of some of her pride and ask for help, where they began to open up to each other.

Zelda was the first to break. She started talking, to herself mostly, but the sword was in the room and it meant there was a chance Ghirahim was listening. She missed Link, missed her dad, missed Skyloft and the academy and the bazaar and everything about the sky. She found herself rambling on about stories of her childhood, things she was scared she would forget without someone there to share the secrets. She may have told him a few things about Link she hadn't meant to, mind foggy and barriers blurred during those lonely nights, but he never commented.

It was snowing again when she opened up about Fi. Ghirahim was, for once, outside of his sword, watching the wind dance about and howl outside the windows. Staring into the fire, watching the crackling flames die down, it just sort of... came out.

"Can swords really feel emotions?"

"I—what?"

Zelda wrapped the blanket closer around her, images of blue and purple dancing across her vision. 

"Can you guys really feel emotion? You and Fi."

Ghirahim didn't respond. Sighing, Zelda realized how much of an overstep this was, and quickly apologized.

"Sorry, that was—"

"No, I simply don't understand where this is coming from." He remarked, ignoring her hurried attempt to make things better. The floorboards creaked, and Zelda was vaguely aware of the body sitting next to her on the floor.

"Short answer? I don't know. I have nothing to compare it to. I was always a sword, even if I'm a demon as well. I don't know how you experience the world in one body, as one created without always knowing your purpose. I suppose that's how it is for everyone, really." Ghirahim sighed, snapping his fingers so the fire roared to life again. "No one really knows how others live."

"I guess. Not everyone has the memories of two lifetimes, after all." Zelda mumbled, keeping herself busy by pulling at the threads of her blanket. She could feel Ghirahim's gaze on her, some weak form of sympathy hanging over them in the air. Her cheeks heated up, and she turned away.

"I truthfully cannot tell you whether Fi feels or not." He shrugged, continuing. "We might both be sword spirits—the only of our kind—but that does not make us similar."

"Yeah, sorry, I don't know what I was thinking." She mumbled, barely heard over the howl of the wind outside. Ghirahim hummed in answer.

"If you're worried about them, I'm sure they're fine. Better off the we are." He tried to comfort her, but Zelda ignored it. Bringing her head to her knees, she took a deep breath and finally admitted what she needed to tell someone.

"I like her. I like her, and I want her to like me, but I'm afraid she sees me as Hylia and not Zelda and I don't know how to make her see _me_ , or if she even can."

Her face burned as she pulled the blanket over her head.

"I just—I want to see her again, even if she will never feel for me as I do for her."

The silence drilled into her mind, enveloping her and making her curse these stupid human emotions. It almost made her hope the spirit she was thinking of didn't have to deal with this, as she would never wish this on anyone. 

"You... you are enamored with Fi."

She nodded, still hidden under her blanket. 

"I thought—not Link?"

"What? No, Link's... _Link."_

The demon scoffed, doing a poor job of hiding it. "Sorry, I seriously was under the impression you had feelings for the hero."

"No, ugh, I should have never told you this, Hylia I'm sorry." Zelda stood to leave, but a hand grabbed her blanket and kept her from escaping.

"Wait."

And she did, but Ghirahim was the one who left her waiting. He was distant, staring off into space before letting his hold on her drop.

"Link and I were talking before he left." He began, monotonous and low. Sitting down on the couch, Zelda listened as the sword broke the silence.

"There's always been something between us. I don't think he'll appreciate me telling you, but we did act on it while you were supposedly... indisposed."

 _Oh my goddess_ , She thought, mostly because _Link screwed Ghirahim while I was trapped in a fucking crystal that **bitch** ,_ but also because _Ghirahim thought she liked him and oh it kind of made sense now._

"He's ready to forgive me and... start something again." Ghirahim murmured, the underlying fear present in his voice. "Start something permanent, too. He was worried what you would think."

She didn't know what she thought, honestly, but the shock of Ghirahim's confession distracted her from her own problems for a while. Frozen in place, she blinked a couple times, mouth hung open where no words came out.

"Just thought if you were going to pour your heart out I should as well." Ghirahim grinned up at her, breaking the awkward lull in their conversation. "And now when you have the 'can I date your sword' conversation, it'll go both ways."

Breaking her daze, Zelda shook her head, soft chuckles shaking her shoulders. It's funny to her, how she ended up here, talking about her love life with the demon that once tried to kill her.

"So you hate me because you're jealous." She teased, kicking at Ghirahim's shoulder as the sword leaned to get up, swatting her away and sticking his tongue out in retaliation.

"No, I hate you because you're the reincarnation of the woman who destroyed my life, but, yes, thinking you wanted involvement with Link was not helping."

She grinned again, watching him put out the fire, and some of the worry in her heart melted away.

"I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

This was where things got as sunshiny and rainbows are they were going to get. Zelda kept up with her training to use the sword, accepted Ghirahim's offer to teach her how to control her magic, and they occasionally bonded over their personal problems and embarrassing stories of Link. If only he knew of the things they affectionately bullied him about. Ghirahim also offered what he knew of Fi, though most was from battle as a sword. 

They learn to tolerate each other. She'd even go as far as saying they were friends. Ghirahim started acting more comfortable around her, and she considered forgiving him, too.

Though at first he spent most of the time in the sword, Zelda saw him once or twice sitting by the fire, cuddling the remlit Link had to leave behind, whispering things he wanted to say to him. She hadn't bothered the sword.

* * *

"... which means you're going to have to start training your knights younger. If you all graduate with the skill level of Mr. I-barely-know-how-to-use-this-thing, you are going to be in trouble."

"You want Kukiel to use a sword. Yes, brilliant idea." Zelda snarked, laughing as Ghirahim pulled a face. "There are no prospects for the future, come on. You think Groose and Peatrice's baby is going to grow up to become the next chosen hero?"

"Which one is...?"

"You know, tall, buff, red hair—"

"Demise's immortal soul, that one _mated?"_

Zelda couldn't contain her laughter. 

"Don't be rude." She shoved him, spilling the tea he held in his hands. It was one of those rare warm days that were becoming less rare, and she had convinced the demon to take a break from their training. "We will have to interact with real people before you know it, I can't have you ruining my reputation."

She dodged the diamonds sent her way, sticking her tongue out to mock the action he seemed so fond of. Ghirahim raised his nose at her, turning away with feigned offense.

Their teasing quieted down as they enjoyed their break, taking in the crisp air and relaxing in the moment's peace.

"The flowers are starting to bloom." Ghirahim muttered conversationally, gesturing to the small colorful buds peaking out from the snow. "You know what that means."

"Spring has come." She nodded, and in seriousness set her cup down. "Any day now."

"Any day now." He agreed, looking to the sky.

Their long winter was almost over.

* * *

The bird returned from the sky to a world that didn't look like it had changed much. Zelda was standing in the garden, remlit in her arms, as if she had never left the spot. The flowers hadn't yet bloomed, green starting to show on the trees, and the snow melting away to nothing.

Except Ghirahim was standing next to her. The Demon Lord had spent days anxiously awaiting Link's arrival, though he wouldn't admit to it. 

"Welcome back." She greeted, smile warm as Link's loftwing set down on the grass, wings disturbing the plants once fluttering in only a gentle breeze. The boy on its back returned her grin, and hopped down off his bird. 

"Good to see you, Zelda." He answered with a relieved tone. "And Ghirahim! This is a surprise!"

"Yeah? Well..." The demon growled, defensively crossing his arms. "I guess... I missed you." He mumbled under his breath. Shoving his side lightly, Zelda had to quickly walk towards Link to avoid being stabbed. She caught her friend blushing, but didn't mention it.

Taking the remlit off her hands, Link looked between his friend and the sword, smile fading to confusion. 

"Did I miss something?"

Ghirahim was much more composed than Zelda when she flat out snorted and and had to back away. 

"Just three months of pure boredom, sky child. Pure boredom and the cruel depths of solitude. Does things to a person." Ghirahim sighed dramatically, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and guiding him toward the house. "You didn't happen to bring that dreadful sword with you, did you?"

"The Master Sword? Um, yeah, I don't leave without it?" Link responded, still adorably confused, as Ghirahim glanced over his shoulder to give Zelda a wink.

Shaking her head, she followed the two into her house.

**Author's Note:**

> aka Ghirahim and Zelda get quarantined together and slowly lose their minds


End file.
